Christopher Luxon’s made the right call not going to Waitangi next year. 

He's probably going to cop it from the press gallery for being a wuss but most of us have been around long enough to see the logic in this. 

We know by now that Waitangi is volatile and unpredictable at the best of times. You can cop a dildo in the face for doing nothing. 

So imagine how intense it will be next year with the Treaty Principles bill debate in full swing and the select committee progress already underway. 

Already Willie Jackson has warned the Prime Minister about his safety if he goes up there because apparently Māori are angry. 

And as Willie Jackson says, "you just never know". 

It’s hardly as if Luxon is being made to feel welcome. 

He’s apparently been told he’s allowed to come on the 6th but not on the 4th because he’s not welcome at the big meeting the National Iwi Chairs Forum hosts every year. 

He’s had a letter from the hikoi organisers telling him he’s not welcome at Waitangi at all. 

Luxon loses nothing by giving it a miss. I doubt very much he’ll win votes by going. 

But he could actually lose votes by going and standing there like a piñata, taking a verbal bashing over a bill that’s actually not his. 

He’s better off leaving the defending to the guy who’s actually responsible for the bill, David Seymour, who says he is going. 

So Luxon I think can say he’s done enough, he's been there two years in a row already, he’s shown respect and defended his corner and he’s not being made to feel welcome. 

He’s been threatened. 

Right-minded people will absolutely, I think, understand why he may not want to go and why he frankly shouldn't. 

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There’s an expectation that weakness in the last economic quarter is behind the country's slump. 

Stats NZ reports gross domestic product dropped 1% in the September quarter.  

We're now in our deepest recession since the Covid-driven slump of 2020.  

Westpac Senior Economist Michael Gordon told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the grind the country has been experiencing throughout the year is now showing up a bit more fully than in the last GDP numbers. 

He says one thing that stood out was the recognition of the cutbacks in the public sector, which weren’t being fully captured in the figures from three months ago. 

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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 20th of December, the terrible economic news continues to get worse with the significant GDP drop and New Zealand is officially back in a recession.  

Liam Lawson has finally been given the Red Bull seat the F1 world knew was already his, so commentator and former McLaren race team member Bob McMurray joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to share his thoughts. 

Trish Sherson and Tim Wilson joined Heather to Wrap the Year in the final segment of 2024. 

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With Christmas just around the corner, Trish Sherson and Tim Wilson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to Wrap the Year.  

They discussed Liam Lawson, drinking, and revealed their politicians of the year. 

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Red Bull have given Liam Lawson his Formula 1 wings. 

Lawson will take the Red Bull team's second seat for 2025 following the departure of Sergio Perez. 

The Kiwi driver has raced 11 times across the previous two seasons as an emergency or mid-season replacement. 

F1 Commentator Bob McMurray told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the task in front of Lawson is massive. 

He says he’ll be expected to match —or better— a four-time world champion in a team he’s moulded around himself.

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Ashburton's incoming second bridge is being viewed as an economic lifeline for the South Island. 

Work on the project will begin in 2026. 

The Government will pay for its construction while the district council will foot the bill for the joining road. 

Business Canterbury Chief Executive Leeann Watson says the current bridge has been washed away multiple times. 

She told Heather du Plessis-Allan that significant volumes of freight pass through Ashburton daily. 

Watson says it goes up to the Christchurch Airport and Lyttelton Port, so a bridge closure makes things difficult for businesses. 

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A potential US government shutdown is on the cards as Donald Trump calls on Republican lawmakers to reject a cross-party funding bill.  

The incoming president's urging Congress to scrap the deal and pass a streamlined bill. 

His intervention follows heavy criticism of the bill by tech billionaire Elon Musk. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Heather du Plessis-Allan the deadline for an agreement is tomorrow night. 

He says so far they won't have the bi-partisan vote numbers by that time. 

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There's uncertainty if the Reserve Bank will change tack following the revelation of New Zealand's deep recession. 

Stats NZ figures out yesterday show GDP fell 1% in the three months to September. 

It’s also revised the preceding quarter down to 1.1% contraction. 

Former Reserve Bank Economist Michael Reddell says it did achieve its goal of bringing inflation under control. 

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan he doubts they'll ramp up the size of OCR cuts next year in response to the recession. 

Reddell says it's more likely they'll go ahead with a 50 basis point cut, then tail them off next year. 

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Health New Zealand's falling behind in its target to lift childhood vaccination rates. 

The agency's quarterly performance report to the end of September shows immunisation rates for children at 24 months has fallen. 

There was also a reduction in the number of people being seen in less than four months by a specialist. 

Stays in emergency departments are shorter as more newborns are enrolled with GPs. 

Chief executive Margie Apa told Heather du Plessis-Allan they're keeping a close eye on declining vaccination rates. 

She says they've learned through covid it can be really helpful to get trusted people in the community. 

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A proposed law change will prohibit universities from adopting positions on issues that aren't related to their core role and functions.  

They'll be required to actively promote an environment where ideas can be challenged, controversial issues discussed, and diverse opinions expressed.  

Universities will have to adopt a statement on freedom of speech and report annually on it.  

Former Victoria University dean and NZ Initiative senior fellow Michael Johnston told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's not a silver bullet to solve the culture problem at universities, but is necessary.  

He says problems on campuses are in part a result of a political bias pretty strongly to the left. 

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